Previously, the scientific community believed that this species, despite the large varieties in appearance and wide range of habitat, was thought simply to have "exceptional dispersal abilities".

[2] However, more recent scientific studies have indicated Morelia amesthistina's lack of mobility between habitats, leading to the realization that this type of snake is "more prone to speciation than other pythons".

In 1995, David G. Barker and Michael B. Harvey, herpetological expert and professor at the University of Texas, conducted a study of various specimens of Indonesian snakes.

[2] The Halmhera python has been recognized by the scientific community as a separate species since Barker and Harvey's publication of their data in 2000.

Other facial features include its rounded snout, black tongue, and pale blueish grey oral mucosa.

There are anywhere from 48 to 56 dark brown or black bands on the body, with the stripes reaching their darkest point on the snake's back and lighter towards the sides.

[8] According to local collectors, the Halmahera python feeds on fruit bats and presumably other small mammals and birds.

[2] This python's main habitat is the evergreen rainforest of northern Halmahera, where it moves equally comfortable on the ground and in the trees.

In general, scrub pythons do not tend to do well in captivity, due in part to their reputation for biting, and have been described as “heat-seeking guided missiles tipped with teeth.” [11]